Networks Pass On ‘The Punisher’ And ‘AKA Jessica Jones’

Yesterday, we reported that ABC plans on rolling out Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘The Incredible Hulk’ television series next season, but what of the other small screen projects Marvel Studios had in the works? Well, two such series have unfortunately been cut by their respective networks.

Despite giving it a put-pilot order, Comic Book Resources tells us that Fox has passed on their adaptation of The Punisher. Announced back in October, ‘Criminal Minds’ showrunner Ed Bernero was supposed to transform the gun-toting antihero veteran into “a rising-star detective in the New York Police Department who moonlights as a vigilante, seeking justice for those the courts have failed.” The hour-long drama was supposed to fill the superhero void left on the network after ‘Human Target’ got the ax, but it looks like the only hope of superheroes on Fox now is ‘The Spectre’.

Since the project was given a put-pilot commitment, which means that a pilot was actually put into production, I wonder if a completed pilot is floating around Hollywood. And if it is, I wonder if we’ll ever get to see it, like we did with the infamous ‘Aquaman’ pilot from years back. Hopefully fans will get to lay eyes on it eventually and see what could have been, for better or for worse.

Over at ABC, where the Hulk is still slated to smash, ‘AKA Jessica Jones’ has been cut loose. Announced in December of 2010, the show based on Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos’ ‘Alias’ series focused on “an embittered former superheroine who, after a traumatic experience, gives up her costumed identity and opens a detective agency. However, once she settles in, she discovers her services are sought by clients with superhero connections.”

I’m especially upset about this news because I was excited to see Luke Cage and Carol Danvers onscreen in a non-animated capacity. I really think that ABC is dropping the ball here on this one because it would have given a different approach to the superhero genre that hasn’t been explored as of yet.

Still up in the air are the fates of ‘Mockingbird’ and ‘Cloak & Dagger’, both of which are in development over at ABC Family. Hopefully, we get something better than “We’re working on it,” soon from the Executive Vice President and Head of Marvel Television responsible for live-action drama and animation, Jeph Loeb.

Like I said before, some of these shows sound(ed) better than most things on television right now, so it’s a shame to see a couple of them get chopped before they got a good fighting chance.

Ben Silverio

Ben F. Silverio received a degree from Drexel University in the Screenwriting and Playwriting Program with a minor in Television Production. While at Drexel, Ben co-founded and co-hosted a film review show called The Pretentious Film Majors, which has evolved into a multi-format form of entertainment including blogs, podcasts on iTunes, articles in the school paper, and a potential tv show. Now armed with an extremely expensive piece of paper, Ben can begin climbing the treacherous ladder of the entertainment industry, which he hopes to do while streaming WWE wrestling matches, reading Marvel comics, and blogging about the excessive amount of movies and tv shows that he watches, all on the iPhone that is permanently attached to his hand.